According to a passenger and a security source, at least ten persons were dead and numerous others were missing after suspected bandits ambushed a passenger train traveling from Abuja to Kaduna in northern Nigeria on Monday night.
Suspected bandits blew up rails and opened fire on security officers aboard the train, the second such incident in Africa’s most populous country since October.
Following the incident, the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) announced on Tuesday that services on the Abuja-Kaduna route had been temporarily suspended.
According to a passenger and member of Kaduna’s security agency, two NRC workers and five security guards were slain when gunmen opened fire on the train.
Calls and text messages seeking a response from a Kaduna police spokesman were not returned.
Local television stations stated that Kaduna security services would hold a media briefing later on Tuesday.
Yusuf Atta, a Kaduna-based journalist, said his mother and sister were on the train and had not been found as of Tuesday morning.
According to families of the passengers, the majority of the more than 900 passengers were transferred to Kaduna from the location of the bus attack while stationed security forces kept an eye on the train.
According to the Kaduna state internal security ministry, an unknown number of people were hurt and are being treated at a local hospital.
